I Was Reincarnated as a Nameless Combatant in a Japanese-style Fantasy Depressive Erotic Game, but t

　'...Sigh, you've become quite strong without me knowing.'

　The hummingbird, who fell silent for a moment, muttered to himself, as if telling someone. Deeply moved, he murmured.

　'Grrrrr.'

　'Well, I'm not talking to you.'

　'Grr...'

　The hummingbird immediately responded with a retort to the bear-youkai creature, which responded to his murmur by crossing its arms and nodding its understanding. It looked dejected for a moment...

* * *

　Late at night, a mountain of rubble stood there. No, to be precise, the corpses of plants soaked in debris had a very strong presence there.

　"Mayoiga"... a giant mass of plants disguised as a palace. Scattered around were countless corpses of those who had been spat out just before dying and had lost their masters and died. As expected, it seemed that those had not been disposed of yet, probably because of their sheer number.

　Both the "Mayoiga" itself and its dead subordinate were treasures in a sense. The extermination squad had already started calculating the expected profits and losses from eliminating this. Tomorrow, they were going to collect everything that could be useful and burn down the entire palace.

　But a corner of the piled-up remains suddenly collapses. And...just after the moonlight was covered by clouds, it appeared.

　'Kukukukuk!! Hahaha!!'

　In the pitch-black night, it leapt out, pushing away the mountain of rubble. It wriggled. It had a malicious, cruel smile and laughed scornfully.

　'Isn't this fresh air outside the mansion great? Hehehe, it feels so refreshing!!'

　The large child-like doll trembled with joy, rattling its body. For decades, or maybe centuries, wandering in that labyrinth was the epitome of boredom.

　'Kekeke. Why am I different from the others and alive even after my master died? Well, it's simple! After all, that 'body' is just a vessel for my soul!'

　The man who was born into a branch family of the exorcists, however, hardly inherited any exorcism talent and was destined to live as a wealthy landowner.

　And the man thought it was boring.

　The man, who was a mass of sadism and malice, selfishly sacrificed the people of his territory for his own desires. He used them to increase his power, and as offerings for forbidden rituals. When the clan realized the man's great sin and came to exterminate him, the people in his territory had already been wiped out. The man had fled.

　Floating from one place to another, the man became a stray exorcist to fulfill his desires. He was eventually cornered by the imperial court, struggled to the end, and lost his life...and then, for the first time, he noticed his hidden power.

　"The Puppeteer," the man's extraordinary power had two aspects. One was the ability to keep his soul inside a doll, and the other was the power to possess the bodies of those he killed. And that was the reason this malevolent spirit survived while many other attendants met their fate with "Mayoiga." In other words...

　'Hahaha!! The only attendants in that damn irritating palace were the dolls I possessed! The rest were just heaps of garbage from the palace...'

　The villain glances at the body of the doll he possessed. It's quite damaged. One arm is missing, and the leg is twisted. However, it's not a significant issue from the perspective of the doll's existence, as it lacks the sense of pain. It's merely a vessel.

　'Hehe. Well, it's enough as a place to spend the night. Besides, I've already chosen my next vessel!'

　Thus, the doll continues to wear a wicked smile. It tightly grips the broken tip of a sword in its hand and starts walking, heading toward its predetermined prey.

　Its destination is the encampment of the "Mayoiga" extermination squad, one of them being the Onitsuki family's tent, where the servant group Yun-shoku resided.

　Since the encounter, the man had targeted "him." It was partly due to resentment, but more importantly, he felt that he was an excellent candidate. He quickly grasped the way the brats interacted with him. He could easily imagine what kind of person that servant was. He was someone trusted and loved by women and children, and through careful observation, he became certain of that. His body was perfect for the possession.

　'A brat who's killed by someone they trust shows such a nice expression, right? Seriously, the look of incomprehension, crying, and calling for help... It's the best sight!'

　It was the words of an experienced person. In fact, the soul inside the doll had done the same thing many times, even more than that. It became addictive, an irresistible and charming moment.

　'Oh, a boundary. But well, it's poorly made, isn't it?'

　The doll sneers after glancing at the ropes that were set up as a boundary to protect the camp. Then, in a rather disappointing manner, it easily slips through the "Youkai-Sealing Rope" that creates the boundary.

　Of course, that was expected. This rope is meant to block youkai. The doll he used before might have been affected, but the doll he's using now is just one of the ornaments stored inside "Mayoiga." Moreover, the essence of the doll is a soul composed of spiritual energy. There's no way the boundary would activate. The man's ability was exceptionally outstanding when it came to infiltration.

　Anyway, they were likely planning to withdraw from this place tomorrow, so the doll slowly approaches its destination, hiding from the busy people moving within the camp. And then, it spots its target in the distance - the tent where the servant's presence lingers.

　'Kihhihihihi!! Just you wait, you d*mn irritating brat! Tonight, the beloved me will crawl over to you!!'

　The doll, with a gleaming smile, raises the blade and mocks. It takes a step forward toward the tent, its heart pounding like a maiden waiting for her first night.

　But then, a countless pitch-black darknesses resembling arms entangle and capture the doll.

　'Huh?'

　The doll is bewildered by what just happened. But in the next moment, it is forcefully dragged into the darkness without a word. It ends up inside the "Mayoiga" that was parked nearby.

　In the heart of the embodiment of evil that resides within "Mayoiga."

　'No, stop it!!?'

　The doll, sensing how hideous the entity that captured it is, struggles desperately. It writhes, trying to escape from the countless arms resembling its own.

　But it was meaningless. Everything was in vain. It was already too late for everything.

　'H-Hii!!? N-No waaay!!'

　Like a lizard's tail, the man's soul tries to evacuate from the doll's body. However, even that invisible soul is entangled by countless arms.

　'W-What the h-hell is goiiing ooon!!?"

　The man's soul was in a state of panic. It was engulfed in madness and fear. Though not visible, the soul clearly understood the presence of dense and evil energy approaching. An existence far beyond itself entwined and wrapped around it—a grotesque "something."

　"Pl-ple-please, stop it!? Oh please, let me go!!?"

　Upon witnessing the darkness open its jaws, the man's soul understood its fate. It was made to understand.

　"Sto-stop it!? Noooo!!?"

　Even the screams from the depths of the echoing soul were swallowed by the darkness...

* * *

　"...? What's this?"

　A certain family's laborer, who was working for the upcoming evacuation, tilted their head when they saw the heavily damaged doll lying on the ground.

　It was a fuso doll resembling a badly damaged young girl. They absentmindedly picked it up and examined it closely. Then, they tilted their head again.

　What on earth is this? Who does this belong to? The laborer glanced around. Their gaze immediately fell on the Onitsuki family's ox cart, which was parked closest to them. The viewing window was open.

　"No, it can't be."

　The laborer shrugged and denied it. They had seen the nobles of the Onitsuki family enter the tent for a meeting a while ago. It didn't seem likely that this doll, clearly meant for young children to play with, belonged to them. Maybe it belonged to one of the half-youkai servants who were waiting nearby... but something didn't feel right.

　"Well, it's a weird thing. What is going on..."

　The laborer twisted their head again and looked at the doll. Then, they noticed something they had missed before—the twisted expression on the doll's face. It seemed as if it were desperately struggling and suffering in a never-ending hell. This wasn't something that should be for children...

　"How tasteless. Whose possession is this...?"

　Involuntarily, they let out words of scorn. Immediately after, they shuddered and turned to look behind them. It felt like they sensed someone's gaze. However, there was nothing there. Nothing to see. Just one ox cart parked nearby.

　"...Is this some kind of curse tool? It's creepy."

　Thinking that it might belong to some exorcist family, they stopped investigating further out of a sense of foreboding and unease. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil—it was the easiest way to cut ties with wicked things...

　And so, the damaged doll was left on the cold ground. Only one thing remained—a single, solitary figure. Left behind and left behind... and before anyone knew it, it was gone.

　Fan art:
　Title: Princess Aoi looks enchanting
　URL: here

　As a little bonus (a scene of Botan drinking blood)

　'Σ(; ﾟДﾟ) Eh?'
　'(＃°Д°) What is this...?'
　'(＃°Д°) Food...'
　'(゜ρ゜) Food...'
　'(゜ρ゜)…'
　'Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟ) Oh! Maybe!'
　'(≧∀≦)ノ Finally, I can meet you, my little sister.'

　"Well, isn't that strange?"

　And that concludes this chapter. The next one will be an epilogue.